


ArmaMancers

by Kesseleth



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, Fighting, Magic, Magic-Users, Original Fiction, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:08:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8473108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kesseleth/pseuds/Kesseleth
Summary: Kathryn Ventir leaves with a strangely excitable girl named Ari, to go take down a handful of bandits and raiders. Surely, nothing could go wrong here...
Apologies for lack of indentation - it seems to be an issue with the way AO3 formats my work.





	

“Oh, it’s fine… Y-you can take it if you want…”

 

“No, no. We both arrived for the same job, and it sounds like a tough one.” The other girl’s voice was gruff, yet not unfriendly. “I mean, yeah, we could probably each handle it, but it’d be a hassle, so why not just head out together?” Her well-tanned hand took the paper, a bounty note for some nearby raiders, and showed it to her. “It’s worth plenty - we can split it and each have more than enough.”

 

Her mind raced, trying to come up with a response. This stranger wasn’t lying, she realized as she took a closer look at the note. That  _ was _ an awfully large reward. Even after cutting it in half, the money would be enough to get her food and shelter for weeks, and perhaps some new clothes so she wouldn’t have to wear her combat gear everywhere. Still, anything with a reward that large would be just as challenging, surely, and an ally could be useful.

 

Still, she didn’t need the money, not really. At least, not enough to want to team up right now.

 

“Come on,” said the other girl, startling her out of her thoughts. In doing so, she glanced at her face, and realized with a start that she’d not been really looking at the other girl at all.

 

A face, tan but not quite olive. Eyes, light blue seeming almost gray. Hair, short-cropped and black as pitch. And a smile, one without malice, one that looked… friendly.

 

She gave an inward sigh. A friendly face was something she didn’t expect to see, and part of her hoped she wouldn’t. Friends were an effort, and not one she really felt was worthwhile for a sellsword, even as inexperienced as she was. This girl clearly meant no harm, though, and might be a good ally. Given that she was so new to this, meeting someone would be useful at the very least, and more likely than not, a very good idea.

 

If only she felt that way, instead of only thought it.

 

“O-Okay… I…” She stopped for a moment, chastising herself for letting her stutter seep into her speech. “I think that’s a good idea,” she said, slowly. “A great one, even.”

 

“Awesome!” The other girl made some motion, bringing her hand up in a fist and back down again, before extending it to her. “Name’s Tera Arisaka, but just call me Ari. You?”

 

Something as simple as her name should have rolled off her tongue in an instant, but she froze all the same. At last, she raised her own hand to grasp Ari’s and spoke again. “K-K-Kate.” Upon seeing the expectant look on the other girl’s - on Ari’s - face, she continued, “Kate Ventir.”

 

\---

 

“So, how many jobs have you taken, Kate?”

 

“U-umm…” Kate hesitated, looking over at Ari a few strides ahead. Ari had changed into the outfit she fought in, mostly leather reinforced with steel that, thankfully, left everything to the imagination. The leggings were rough, but sturdy, and nary an inch of skin was exposed, except for Ari’s hands and head. Some device - a weapon, Kate presumed, or something to help cast - hung at her hips, but getting a closer look at it proved futile. She walked with confidence down the dirt trail, without even a hint of fear at the potential danger ahead.

 

Kate couldn’t say the same. She tried to appear calm and collected, though her uneven walk, sometimes massive strides, sometimes tiny steps, betrayed her nervousness. She continually ran one hand through her dark brown hair, an action she couldn’t recall ever learning to do. Kate’s combat gear, reinforced steel chains under a black dress cut for movement, was more practical than some gave it credit for, yet not the most intimidating, which didn’t much help. Her stutter didn’t do her any favors, either. At least Kate wore red shorts beneath the skirt so she wouldn’t feel too desperate for modesty, should she need to run mid-fight.

 

“What, don’t want to tell me?”

 

“O-oh, sorry.” Kate paused for a moment, eyes closed as she pondered. Should she lie? No, no, Ari would be able to tell.

 

“O-one. One other than th-this one, I mean.”

 

“Oh, so you’re new?” Kate couldn’t see Ari’s face, given that Ari stayed a few strides ahead, but somehow Kate could hear the smirk that surely decorated it.

 

Kate looked down, staring at the rough dirt path they walked on. “Y-yeah…” she admitted.

 

“No problem.” Ari sounded like she meant it, though Kate doubted she truly did. “I’m not super experienced either. This is sort of a side thing, you know?”

 

“N-no, I don’t.”

 

“Oh, I suppose you really wouldn’t.” Ari chuckled. “See, I do this on the side. I’m a bard.”

 

Kate’s face contorted in confusion. “A… a b-bard?”

 

“Yeah. I play music at places, for pay.” Kate couldn’t tell whether she was supposed to ask for more information, but thankfully Ari continued without provocation. “Thing is, the music I play is about this sort of stuff, with fighting and all, so I decided I would need some first-hand experience.”

 

Kate frowned, choosing not to speak. Was Ari just making small talk? Was she telling her life story or simply chatting? Kate chose not to delve further, rather continuing to walk. The raiders, far too reckless to have bothered covering their trail, could easily be tracked, and others reported they stayed a mere hour’s walk away from the town. That meant they’d be closing in on them soon, and Kate looked forward to that. It’d mean she wouldn’t have to talk anymore.

 

The next few minutes passed in silence. Ari understood, or at least seemed to understand, that Kate tended to keep to herself. No further questions were asked, or topics discussed.

 

Ari stopped quickly, causing Kate to stumble lest she collide. “There they are.”

 

Kate looked over Ari’s shoulder. Indeed, a small campsite had been set up there, with people in shoddy armor milling about. There couldn’t have been more than thirty raiders there - a small group, it seemed. In the distance, by the farthest tent, a man was chained and shackled to a wooden post. Kate couldn’t make out any details so far away, but he seemed alive, at least.

 

“N-now what?” Kate asked. No guards seemed to be posted, and nobody looked their way. Thus far, none knew they had arrived. “How sh-should we do this?”

 

“You sneak?”   
  


“Huh?”

 

“If I distract them, can you get them while they’re busy with me?”

 

“Umm…” It seemed dangerous, a plan like that. One mistake, and everything would be ruined. Kate glanced at her wrists, where her weapons lay concealed. They would prove useful for a stealth attack, she supposed. “I-I-I guess so.”

 

She doubted herself.

 

“Good. I’ll get their attention ten seconds after you get moving.”

 

Kate nodded before turning and running off, making sure to keep a wide berth between the camp and herself. Best not be noticed if it can be helped. Keep quiet, make sure she isn’t spotted, and wait…

 

“Hey, you!” An explosive bang sounded from Ari’s position.

 

The bandits turned, seemingly surprised, but not particularly fearful. One, a grizzled old man with scars running down his face and graying hair that belied his age, turned and shouted, “We don’t want trouble, and especially don’t wanna hit a girl! Just turn around n’ we’ll not bother with you.”

 

Kate couldn’t tell if the man told the truth, but it hardly mattered as Ari poked her head out from her hiding spot and pointed at the man with a… a…

 

Kate had no idea. A sleek metal device which Ari gripped around what appeared to be its… hilt? She held the hilt upwards, but it turned sharply to the side, exposing a small hole. Was that the strange weapon-like item Ari had at her hip earlier? It barely looked like a weapon at all, but surely it wasn’t just some toy.

 

As something flew from the device with such speed that it could hardly be seen, catching the grizzled bandit on the arm and causing him to release a long string of profanities, Kate concluded that, indeed, whatever Ari held was a powerful tool indeed.

 

Kate didn’t renege on her promise to wait, choosing instead to remain hidden for just a little longer. Still, with the bandits distracted and now closing in on Ari (though, as Kate noticed with a smirk, many seemed hesitant after Ari drew her weapon), the time to strike drew near. She paused for a brief moment, focusing on her breathing. She felt the mana flow within her, giving her power, strength, speed. Tapping the metal wristbands on each hand, a set of three metal claws extended from each. She curled her hands into fists, the claws extending a good inch past her knuckles, and leaped behind the bandits.

 

They never saw her coming.

 

Kate’s claws moved faster than any weapon should, her mana allowing her agility far beyond that of a normal... person. As one bandit tried to nock an arrow and send it her way, she jumped forward and landed on him, tearing out his throat before he hit the ground. When someone charged from behind, whipping around and slashing at their face was easy, almost as if it all happened in slow motion.

 

She ran rampant through the camp, brutalizing her way through any who dared come within range, and more than a few who didn’t. Everything happened at once, yet nothing seemed to get in her way. A swipe here, a slash there, and everything fell into place. Nothing could stand before Kate and her power, as she -

 

Kate collapsed. Her mana was almost entirely drained. In the heat of battle, she hadn’t even bothered to keep track of it. A dull, aching pain spread from her chest to her arms, her head, her legs. She couldn’t move. Dimly, she heard laughter. Some man shouted about how they had to kill her before she got back up, that she was too dangerous to have any fun with, but the words barely reached her ears. She lifted her head and saw the scarred bandit gave her no respite, closing in with massive strides. Kate’s eyes shut as she waited.

 

A far-off bang sounded… or was it far off? The sound of feet hitting the dirt ground echoed around her, and she opened her eyes to see the scarred man on the ground, blood dripping from the back of his head. The other raiders were charging towards the bush Ari crouched in. Kate couldn’t see her, but she did see the fireball that ignited three foes. She could barely keep her eyes open, but she could tell the battle was won. All the bandits had been so busy with herself that they’d all but forgotten Ari was even there, and that gave them the element of surprise.

 

Even so, Kate couldn’t focus much on the landscape around her. She closed her eyes again, and waited.

 

After some amount of time that she wasn’t entirely aware of, she heard Ari call out, “Kate!”

 

“H-hey, Ari,”, Kate responded, followed by a racking cough. She saw blood on the ground next to her, and realized with some surprise that she’d coughed it up. “W-w-we safe?”

 

“I am, but you’re not. Kate, you’re hurt!”

 

“I-I-I’m fine,” she muttered. “I j-just used t-t-too much m-mana and b-bloodcast by a-accident. If I can r-r-rest, I’ll get m-my mana back, and I’ll heal in j-just a few h-hours.”

 

“I know that, Kate, but you should never let your mana get that low!” Arms wrapped around Kate’s body as Ari helped her to stand. “Come on, let’s get back to the tavern. You need to relax.”

 

Kate felt little as they proceeded, beyond the aching of her entire body. One foot in front of the other, again and again, with Ari next to her helping her along. How long could she hold out? If Kate just - no, no, it won’t be much longer now. Then again, time seemed not to matter - was it hours, or just minutes, since the battle? Distance was hard to judge as well, especially since Kate kept her eyes shut to help with the pain.

 

The sound of voices caused Kate to open her eyes. She suspected she was approaching delirium, but, shocked, saw that they’d made it back to the town she and Ari had taken the job from, just a few hours previous. They stood just outside a large wooden building, with the picture of a cauldron of soup upon it. Well, Ari stood - Kate dimly noticed she was still leaning on her.

 

Ari continued moving, pushing open the door. A slightly plump man washing a glass mug with a dirty white rag turned to them, and his jaw dropped when he saw Kate.

 

“You’re getting us a room,” said Ari. “Now.”

 

“W-w-wait,” Kate managed to breath out, before coughing a few times. “C-c-could you… d-draw me a b-bath first?”

 

“Without you two paying, I’m not doing either of those things,” the man responded. “Hell, you two will have to pay for the blood you just dripped all over my inn too.”

 

“We’ll pay you tomorrow,” insisted Ari. “We just came back from taking out a few bandits but my friend here isn’t in any condition to go take the bounty from the city council just yet.”

 

“Wait a minute… you two are ones who took the bandit contract?” The man threw the rag aside and placed down the mug. “Those guys were chasing away all the business. You can spend as long as you want here.”

 

He ran up a staircase on the other end of the room, shouting about how the water was already hot.

 

“Kate, how are you feeling?” asked Ari as he left.

 

“G-good enough...” More coughing resounded throughout the room. She closed her eyes again.

 

A mere moment later the man returned, and bade Kate go up the stairs for her bath. Stumbling out of Ari’s grip, she took the steps slowly, nearly tripping twice. Still, she reached the top, turned right, and took two steps into the room.

 

Kate closed the door behind her, released the enchantments she held, and collapsed onto the ground.

 

With the enchantments gone, she could begin regaining her mana. Now, she could begin to heal. Her black, leathery wings and thin tail, formerly hidden by her magic, were tightly pressed against her, struggling to break free of the clothes that were designed for a normal human, without extremities.

 

She lay for another moment, allowing the mana to flow through her body, healing her wounds, before standing up and beginning to undress.

 

The bathwater was hot, almost scalding. Kate enjoyed it that way - it reminded her of home, in the HellPlane. It hadn’t been that long since she left, not really, but already she missed it. She had friends there, even if she was only a ‘Kin, and that was more than she could say now.

 

Or, was it? Kate mused on that as she stretched her wings out behind her, hearing and feeling the joints pop in equal measure. Ari went out of her way to help her, and called her a friend when trying to make peace with the innkeeper. And, Kate knew, if either she or Ari had gone to that bandit camp alone, they’d not have survived.

 

Perhaps she did make a friend, after all. What a wonderful thought.

 

Still, until she regained all her mana, it’d be foolish to cast the enchantments on her wings and tail again, and it wouldn’t do to walk out with them still visible. So, for a little while at least, she needed to stay here, in this room, and relax.

 

Kate sighed contentedly and closed her eyes. A good day.

 

\---

 

The man sat there, in the ruins of the bandit camp. He laughed, though nobody was around to hear him. “Guess you forgot all about me,” he chuckled. “Your friend was more important than some guy chained up to some wooden block.” He stood. The chains snapped, as though made of thin clay. “Well, perhaps I’ll see you two again someday.” He turned, snapped his fingers, and vanished.

**Author's Note:**

> This is Chapter 1, at least in theory. Chapter 2 isn't particularly likely to happen, in truth. I apologize for that.
> 
> Still, please leave any feedback you may have and I'll use it to improve. Perhaps if enough people notice this I may continue it. Not likely though, heh. Thank you for reading regardless, and I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
